I didn’t quite have it in me to write a blog post on Friday, September 4, but I am happy to report that work resulted in completion of the rafters! Seeing these bones gave me a new level of believing that this building is really going to manifest.
Today, Saturday, I got to have dinner with Bill, the 94-year-old partner of Sonia Hodson, from whose estate the House of Mica purchased the land. Bill had a very deep and selfless love for Sonia. He cared for her in her last years as compassionately and lovingly as any human being could care for another human. Bill has wanted to make sure that we, the new caretakers of the land, are fully aware of what came before us. This is a sentiment that I honor. He expresses gratitude that we came forward and sees our work as a continuation of what he and Sonia started. This is very humbling.
Bill gifted me some old pictures of the construction of the labyrinth and the sanctuary (now peace chamber). He shared a picture of the “Grandfather Tree” that spoke to Sonia and instructed her to “build a cathedral”. Sonia spoke back to the tree saying she could not build a cathedral but, in her own way, she honored the guidance by building a labyrinth and the sanctuary.
Bill gifted me some old pictures of the construction of the labyrinth and the sanctuary (now peace chamber). He shared a picture of the “Grandfather Tree” that spoke to Sonia and instructed her to “build a cathedral”. Sonia spoke back to the tree saying she could not build a cathedral but, in her own way, she honored the guidance by building a labyrinth and the sanctuary.
The above picture of the sanctuary does answer the question of whether that building is adobe. You can see that it is adobe except for the spaces between the windows and the rather high foundation.
Below is a picture of Sonia at the center of the circle at a gathering to begin work on the labyrinth.
Below is a picture of Sonia at the center of the circle at a gathering to begin work on the labyrinth.
During dinner, Bill asked if I knew the story of Sonia’s family background. I had heard the story before, but I wanted to hear it again. I took the opportunity to record him while he spoke so that I would make sure I got the story correct. Sonia was the daughter of Stuart Chase and Margaret Hatfield. Stuart Chase (3/8/1988 - 11/16/85) was a well-known American economist, social theorist and writer. Margaret was a teacher who worked in alternative education settings. They endorsed women’s suffrage, birth control and worked to raise awareness about economic inequality and the plight of the common worker.
Stuart and Margaret had an unconventional relationship. While they were both from families with means, they decided to spend their “honeymoon” exploring what it would be like for a couple with no education or money to enter an unfamiliar city and start from the bottom. They moved to Rochester, New York as a homeless, jobless and friendless couple who lost jobs in Boston and were in search of a new life. They believed that, with perseverance and willingness to work, they would be able to land jobs, earn decent wages, and build a life together. In the end, they learned just how precarious life could be on the poverty line in 1914. The experiment ended after 9 weeks when, hungry and still unemployed, “an army of cockroaches” invaded their meagre accommodations. They published a book titled The Honeymoon Experiment that told of their experience. This honeymoon experiment shaped Stuart Chase’s thinking about economics and influenced the many books about economics that he would go on to write.
Stuart Chase wrote a book titled A New Deal and published an article in the New Republic titled “A New Deal for America” just days before FDR began talking about a New Deal in his speeches as he ran for president. His book, The Proper Study of Mankind helped establish social sciences as a field of study.
This is the ground from which Sonia grew. It is interesting to see how the threads of these stories connect us. Where would I be if the field of Social Sciences (something many of us studied in college) never came into being? It is reaffirming to read of Sonia's parent's commitment to Women's Rights and economic justice. To see a picture of the "Grandfather Tree" and Sonia at the center of the circle of people, reminds me of how we are also doing our best to listen to what the land wants us to bring forth.
May the stories of our lives, and the stories of those that came before us, reveal how we are all part of a beautiful human tapestry. May these stories unite us. May we honor the ancestors. May we remember what came before us as we do the work of writing new chapters and telling new stories. A-Ho.
Stuart and Margaret had an unconventional relationship. While they were both from families with means, they decided to spend their “honeymoon” exploring what it would be like for a couple with no education or money to enter an unfamiliar city and start from the bottom. They moved to Rochester, New York as a homeless, jobless and friendless couple who lost jobs in Boston and were in search of a new life. They believed that, with perseverance and willingness to work, they would be able to land jobs, earn decent wages, and build a life together. In the end, they learned just how precarious life could be on the poverty line in 1914. The experiment ended after 9 weeks when, hungry and still unemployed, “an army of cockroaches” invaded their meagre accommodations. They published a book titled The Honeymoon Experiment that told of their experience. This honeymoon experiment shaped Stuart Chase’s thinking about economics and influenced the many books about economics that he would go on to write.
Stuart Chase wrote a book titled A New Deal and published an article in the New Republic titled “A New Deal for America” just days before FDR began talking about a New Deal in his speeches as he ran for president. His book, The Proper Study of Mankind helped establish social sciences as a field of study.
This is the ground from which Sonia grew. It is interesting to see how the threads of these stories connect us. Where would I be if the field of Social Sciences (something many of us studied in college) never came into being? It is reaffirming to read of Sonia's parent's commitment to Women's Rights and economic justice. To see a picture of the "Grandfather Tree" and Sonia at the center of the circle of people, reminds me of how we are also doing our best to listen to what the land wants us to bring forth.
May the stories of our lives, and the stories of those that came before us, reveal how we are all part of a beautiful human tapestry. May these stories unite us. May we honor the ancestors. May we remember what came before us as we do the work of writing new chapters and telling new stories. A-Ho.
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